Harvey, Sara M.: The Convent of the Pure
The Convent of the Pure (2009)
Written by: Sara M. Harvey
Genre: Fantasy/Steampunk
Pages: 138
Disclaimer: free copy from Apex Publications
When I received this review copy in the mail, I wasn't sure what to make of the book. For starters, the cover had me tilting my head in confusion, and not the good kind, and the premise left me wondering if the book was going to be really cool or simply crap. But Jacqueline Carey has a blurb on the front cover, so I thought, what the hell?
The premise: this steampunk fantasy is steeped in the Biblical legends of the Nephilim and is the first installment of a trilogy. Portia is sent to an abandoned convent to investigate news of a demon. She's still reeling from the incident that cost her lover Imogen her life and has little to no confidence in her abilities or magic. Fortunately, the ghost of Imogen is always at Portia's side, giving her guidance when she needs it. However, it may not be enough, as what Portia hunts is far greater and more dangerous than anyone ever imagined, and worst of all, her dead lover might be involved in a plot that will destroy her.
Spoilers.
So let's lay a couple of things on the table. To my knowledge, I haven't read steampunk. Not really. I've read some SF that I guess is considered steampunk after a fashion, but whatever I read with that label never gives me a sense of what that genre is about save for taking a setting that doesn't have the technological bells and whistles and giving that setting technological bells and whistles. Now I like the concept of the clockwork stuff, but so far, the sub-genre really hasn't grabbed me yet.
Also to note: it's been FOREVER since I've cracked open a Bible, let alone looked at Genesis, so the myth of the Nephilim is a rather new and strange concept to me. Researching this before starting the book is what gave me the whole, "This is going to be either really cool or really crap" feeling, and by the end, it was neither.
Here's the thing: it's a novella. You have this huge, epic, mythic concept, and you've got a 130 page novella. The first of a trilogy. Really? Really? If you figure that each novella is the same length, then in the end, if you mash the books into one volume, you'll have a single book that hits around 400 pages, and for a fantasy, that's not a door-stopper, especially with this kind of world-building.
Now, on one hand, you can praise the author for condensing her material and just putting the story on the page, but there's a helluva lot of drawbacks to this: 1) I have no emotional investment in the characters nor their relationships. This is unfortunate, because Portia's love of Imogen is what motivates her, and, well, Imogen is dead because of her. We never get that scene, we never even got to see the BEFORE relationship before everything went to hell. We get the after, and then we get the betrayal of Imogen's past and why she really came to the chapter house. I'm told over and over that the love these two feel for each other is genuine, and I hear it enough to believe it, but I never feel it, never empathize, because I never saw the relationship build. It's unfortunate, because this is just one area of the novel that I feel would've benefited for a more, forgive the comparison, Kushiel's Dart-esque way of telling a story: start with an important moment of the heroine's childhood, and build your way up. Not only does this allow the reader to indulge in the relationships the heroine has with the supporting cast (and most important, her lover Imogen), but it also allows the reader to absorb the world-building, to embrace it and experience it, so that when everything comes into play, you're INTO it.
The book's a fast read, don't get me wrong. Harvey keeps you turning the pages. But that's mostly because you don't KNOW anything and you just want answers, not because you're so invested in the situation that you want to find out how it all plays out and how your favorite characters are going to get out of it.
And that's the second drawback. 2) the world-building suffers from info-dump-itis. Everything we need to know is dumped on us through unrealistic dialogue exchanges that do nothing but inform the reader and Portia what's really going on. Normally, given how much Portia's in the dark and CAN'T know certain things, I wouldn't mind this, but it's coupled with general info-dumping about the WORLD itself and how it works, which makes me wish it were spread out at a more even pace through-out a longer book so that I could have a snowball's chance in hell of figuring out what Portia's really going through before I'm given the answers.
The setting never really gelled for me either. Any time I'm reading a fantasy, I try to place it in the real world, be it past, present, or modern, and then my brain adds the special stuff, be it castles, vampires, magic, angels, or steampunk. In this case, I never really got a feel for the setting or the culture of the people. It's so steeped in the Nephilim that, well, I guess it was a complete secondary world, but I'm not sure, given the story's Biblical roots, and that made me wish I had a better sense of what my setting was and where the story was taking place. For me, there was no culture, but all the cool stuff was thrown at me, be it the steampunk elements or the Nephilim legends. Getting all of it at once is disorienting, and while Portia moves through her world with ease, I don't have the same confidence so I'm stumbling along. And I really, really, REALLY tired of Portia's obsession with her GLADSTONE bag where she keeps all of her weapons. Why is it always referred to as a GLADSTONE, and not just a bag? This read, to me, like an urban fantasy or romance or chick-lit narrator constantly refering to her purse as a Kate Spade ALL THE FREAKING TIME instead of, you know, a purse. You don't have to beat me over the head with the type or brand-name.
Anyway. The thing my reaction boils down to is this book is too short, and not in the sense that I can't wait to read the next installment. I have no interest in the next installment because of the construction of this book. The shortness of it never allows me to experience the world or characters, never allows me to settle into it, and I'm thrust into action that I can never really believe in. I can never suspend my disbelief because everything's thrown at me and I'm doing all I can simply to keep up. That's not saying the book or story is overwhelming. It's not. I understand everything just fine, but I'm distant, and when I'm distant, I don't care.
And there's elements to this I think I would really care about IF the story was developed differently on paper: Portia's and Imogen's relationship (when they aren't constantly referring to each other by their first names and/or "my love," which drove me crazy) is something tangible, and I really wish I'd been there from the very start, because it'd make the relationship MORE important for me, and it'd make the story even more powerful. I love the use of the succubus and incubus, and I think, if I'd experienced more of this world prior to Portia's mission in the convent, I would've been really creeped out by what was happening to the children, as well as what was happening to Portia herself. More to the point, I would've understood WHY it was happening and why I was supposed to care. Instead, the author has to explain why I'm supposed to care, and even afterwards, I'm still trying to get my terms straight.
I found Nigel's demise a little too easy, and his character a little too two-dimensional and predictable. I've seen his likes before, so I never found him to be a frightening villain/antagonist. I found Portia to be rather selfish when she left Katriel, especially since I figured her inner angel would've recognized Katriel (as it did before) and known Katriel could truly help. Sure, Portia pays a bit of a price when she learns that Nigel drains him dry, but it's not the same.
In some ways, this book reminded me of a hybrid between Harry Potter and the film The Orphanage. With a splash of other-worldly mythology, of course. There's so much potential here that I just wish Harvey had written a full-blown NOVEL rather than a trilogy of novellas. To me, it's a waste of a really cool idea/premise/world-building.
But that's not entirely fair of me to say: perhaps the author simply didn't HAVE a story to build from the time Portia was a child to the point we get in the book. Maybe her novella trilogy is all that she's got to give, and if so, I find that sad. I think this could've been something much, much bigger, and something far more epic. Of course, I'm looking at this more as a fantasy instead of a horror, and fantasy readers tend to want FAR more meat on the bones of their books, whereas horror, in my limited experience, cuts to the chase and gets your pulse up and racing to the finish line. Obviously, there's a difference between the genres and what they're meant to accomplish, but as a reader, I would've preferred the fantasy (albeit dark) focus and method of storytelling versus that of the horror focus. That's me.
My Rating
Glad It Was Free: there's potential in this book, no doubt, and certainly, Harvey is dealing with original material when it comes to the fantasy genre. Using Biblical mythology/legends that embrace more than simply angels and demons can make for a fascinating read, but my wish is that rather than writing a novella, the author had really THROWN herself into the world and created a story that was bigger and more epic. I wanted to like the book far more than I did, and I blame my distance on the fact that I'm thrown into the action and expected to care about characters that I don't even know in crisis. The info-dumping, while extremely necessary to get through the book, is unfortunate because I'd rather experience and discover the world, not have it dumped on me. It's a fast read that reminds me of a hybrid between Harry Potter and the film The Orphanage in terms of setting and world-building, which is kind of fun. But I firmly believe the novella (or a trilogy of) is the wrong form for this epic set of ideas, of world-building, and even the level of relationships that have formed between the characters. Everything about this story is epic, but the form is far too short to let the reader truly appreciate and experience it, which in turn is a let down. Will I read the rest of the trilogy? No. I'm convinced the two sequels will be told in the same manner, and if the form doesn't work for me, why read more just to get more out of the world and characters? That may not make sense, but it boils down to the fact that this should've been something far bigger, and anything less just won't do. Not for me.
Cover Commentary: Taking the characters separately, I like the portrayal of Portia for the most part, though the white/silver shock of hair is a bit disconcerting, making me think of an older lady instead of something otherworldly and beautiful. And the image of Imogen in the background is an excellent rendition of a scene in the book. But combined? The cover makes me wince. I care nothing for full-frontal nudity of a woman, covered in bloody tattoos, arching her back like she's in the middle of an orgasm. So what if she's using magic? This isn't a book I can read in public, thanks to the cover. Too many questions and frankly, I like to be left alone when I read. It's also a cover that, if I saw the book in the store, I'd pass by immediately. The title of the book and the font choice doesn't help in that regard either, but hey, I'm picky.
Next up:
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan